Humor is a Tricky Game

Humor is a tricky game, which is one reason why we, in the world of laughter yoga, leave it behind and head straight into laughter.

I was reminded of this recently, when I attended a holiday concert last month. It was a choir (a very large and well known choir) and I foolishly assumed it would be an evening of beautiful, even sacred, holiday music. Yes there was some of that, alongside songs that were a parody of the season. The most offensive skit for me was one which involved members of the chorus dressed up as old ladies, with the intended showstopper of one very large lady doing antics on a walker. It made me cringe for so many reasons.

For one, I was seated next to my 80-year old friend. Was I supposed to laugh at her being elderly? And then the fat routine. God help us if we are still laughing at fat people. It reminded me of grade school. And lastly the walker. To ridicule the handicapped, I felt was unforgivable. I know many, including myself, who have spent time on a walker, either permanently due to old age, or temporarily due to an accident. I can attest to how humiliating it can feel.

I compare it to the times I spent leading programs on Therapeutic Laughter for many retirement homes while I was on a walker. I often laughed at the irony of it. Once I feigned racing another walker-bound resident down the hallway. The difference: Laughing at ourselves vs. others laughing at us; laughing to ease the situation vs. being ridiculed; laughing to make light of a stressful situation vs. being humiliated by others.

Humor is a tricky game. Laugh at yourself and leave others alone.